


Fear

by orangebarmy



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003)
Genre: Contest Entry, Crime Fighting, Fear, Fight or Flight, Gen, POV, Ratings: G
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-27
Updated: 2015-02-27
Packaged: 2018-03-15 12:03:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3446447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orangebarmy/pseuds/orangebarmy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT sadly<br/>Summary: Fear it is a powerful emotion<br/>Rating: G<br/>Note: For the "Raphael" January theme contest on TMNT Contests</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fear

There it was. 

With just the flicker of long shadows, the clashing of the garbage cans and the loud whisperings it was enough to put Raphael on high alert. He closed his eyes, his body reacting almost instantly to the situation. 

His heart began to thump within his plastron until he felt like it was going to beat its way out of his body. He felt his shoulders heaving as his body tried to draw in the adequate oxygen required for his increased heartbeat.

He could feel his insides beginning to seemingly twist until he felt like he was going to throw up. His mouth dried up and no amount of lip licking was going to do anything about it. His muscles tensed up forcing him to crouch ready to pounce on the perceived threat. 

Everything around him disappeared into the background, his hearing fixed on the sounds coming from the alleyway below him until he could almost hear the heartbeats of the gang members who were up to no good. He knew his brothers were beside him but they faded into darkness as his vision was completely focused on the group; his dilated pupils aiding his optic nerves teasing out every little detail.

His fingers tightened around the handles of his Sais and he could feel the tremors and shivers which were starting to wrack his toned body. He was thankful at that moment in time for the mask which protected his eyes and soaked up the sweat which suddenly erupted across his skin.

“Let’s dance,” he growled to his brothers and used his tensed muscles to leap from his position.

Leo’s shouts of consternation were lost to Raph as every fibre of his being was focused on the group below him. His arms and legs shot out grabbing and pummelling, his breath forcing its way out of his body in loud grunts.

He only stopped when every member of the gang lay groaning and unconscious at their feet. Green eyes darted about anxiously scanning every nook and cranny for any other threat that may have been hidden. 

“Raphael . . . .” Leo’s voice momentarily broke through to the fighter.

Looking at his leader, Raphael could see his brother’s lips moving but was unable to process any of it. Not that it mattered, the lecture was one Raph received every single time he jumped into a fight and he could repeat it verbatim. 

No amount of lecturing or disapproval from his brother and probably later his father could change Raph though because he had almost no control over his reactions. Whenever he was greeted with a situation where he was challenged, it wasn’t his apparent hot headed nature which directed him. Instead it was pure unadulterated fear which coursed through him. 

Fight or flight; that was what all the scientific books referred to it as and Raph was not inclined to disagree with them. He had felt it since Master Splinter had taken them into the dojo and pitted them against each other for the first time.

Faced with any physical challenge or confrontation against another he felt this way. Each and every time though no matter how strong the inclination was to run, he never would. Despite how scared he was of the outcome of any potential fight, the fear of what would happen if he did run was stronger again.

He felt like if he started running he would not be able to stop and he would spend the rest of his life completely ruled by a crippling fear and the need to flee. He knew he was of no use to his family if he could not function when they were out or even when they were training within the safety of the dojo; so he chose to fight and he would forever choose to fight.

His solution may be reckless and earn him lecture after lecture but for him it was the better of two evils. He would rather plunge into the hordes of weapon wielding goons then become a slave to in his view the cowardly need to run away and spend forever bound to it. 

He would put up the front he had knitted so neatly in place. He would growl and smirk, he would insult and cuss; he would let the tension built up and fuel his temper, all to keep his family from knowing how he felt. 

He knew his fear would always be with him, he knew this was his burden to bear; but it was something he was determined would never hold him back from protecting those that he loved and those that needed it.

END


End file.
